Doctor Tania Crombet Ramos, director of Clinical Research at the Cuban Immunology Center (CIM), was selected for the TWAS Medal Lecture for 2027, one of the most prestigious distinctions awarded by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) to its most outstanding members.
CIM itself announced the news on Friday through its official Facebook page with these words: "For the pride of the Center for Molecular Immunology CIM, our dear Dr. C. Tania Crombet Ramos has been chosen as the TWAS Medal Lecturer for 2027, a very special recognition for her outstanding scientific career."
The TWAS Medal Lecture is an honorary distinction that the academy has awarded since 1996 to some of its most distinguished members. As explained by CIM itself, "this award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a scientist in their field of research"; the awardees also present a lecture on a central aspect of their work and receive an honorary medal.
Crombet Ramos has accumulated a scientific career spanning decades focused on immunotherapy for cancer. Under his leadership, clinical trials were conducted with 10 innovative molecules, including monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic vaccines, resulting in the registration in Cuba and other countries of two cancer vaccines and two monoclonal antibodies for epithelial tumors, autoimmune diseases, and COVID-19.
Among these molecules are nimotuzumab —recently registered in Russia under the name Nimolancim— and itolizumab, repurposed for patients with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2. He has published more than 100 scientific articles and has participated as a speaker in over 200 international conferences.
Her connection with TWAS is not new: in 2007 she was awarded the TWAS Prize for Young Scientists in Developing Countries, and in November 2021 she was elected a full member of the academy—among 58 new fellows—with effective membership starting January 1, 2022. She is also a Tenured Academic at the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.
Founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy, TWAS is a programmatic unit of UNESCO that promotes sustainable prosperity through research, education, public policy, and scientific diplomacy. It brings together over 1,400 elected members from 112 countries, including 13 Nobel laureates, and along with its partners, has trained more than 1,100 doctors and awarded over 2,300 postdoctoral fellowships to scientists from developing countries.
The CIM, inaugurated in Havana in July 1994 and part of the state group BioCubaFarma, operates as a closed-loop center: from basic research to the production and marketing of biotechnological medications. It is one of the most recognized institutions in the Cuban Scientific Pole, and its work has achieved international prominence in a context where the Island is experiencing a profound economic and energy crisis affecting the entire population.
Hundreds of essential health medications are missing from Cuban pharmacies, which has led the population to frequently turn to natural and traditional medicine in an attempt to alleviate illnesses.
The award presented to Crombet Ramos adds to other recent recognitions of Cuban science. In October 2026, chemist María del Carmen Domínguez Horta from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) received the 2026 Latin American Women in Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society, highlighting the recognition that the international scientific community gives to Cuban researchers despite the country's challenging conditions.
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